• by Tricia Despres , June 20, 2006

There are ads in stalls and ads above urinals. In the race to fill the public restroom with advertising, Aurora, Ill.-based Impressionaire has cornered those few moments at the end of your visit by offering digital advertising on hand dryers.

 Impressionaire holds the patent on what it calls a “digital washroom advertising” system that features flat-panel computer screens affixed to warm-air hand dryers. The high-tech dryers are installed in more than 150 restrooms in the Chicago area, including arenas, restaurants, and casinos. Ad messages are displayed every 30 seconds.

Budweiser and Allstate have advertised on the systems. Allstate’s customized ad message exclaims, “Stop wringing your hands thinking about what insurance to buy.”